. >> it's kind of amazing, because obviously germany is the biggest trading partner for russia, and german companies have been lobbying hard. maybe they want the sanctions early so they can get them over with early. here. the white house says the sanctions have already had a significant effect on russia's economy. true or not, michelle? >> you really have to look at it from two senses. for weeks the administration has been citing things like the weakening ruble, weakening russian stock markets. well, we talk to people who really know international markets and that was going on already. and also, it's really hard to separate out what problems would have been the results of russia's own actions in ukraine and what would be because of sanctions. but they have hurt, absolutely, the people and the entities targeted. for example, banks that are now essentially shut out of doing business in the dollar and the euro. >> all right. thank you very much, michelle kosinski reporting live from the white house tonight. >>> in the meantime tonight, malaysian officials say they may send a ship to investiga